The Tracker Academy at Samara

"We are born to track. We keep track of time, weather, family, finances. We sometimes lose track of ourselves and of our relationships, and then we get back on track... The art of tracking is also an art of living."

- IAN MCCALLUM, POET, PSYCHIATRIST & TRAINER AT THE TRACKER ACADEMY

The Tracker Academy, a training division of the SA College for Tourism, operating under the auspices of the Peace Parks Foundation and funded by the Rupert Family Trust, was founded and is hosted at Samara. The one year full-time intensive course into the dying science of tracking, led by experienced trainers, is the first of its kind in Southern Africa. Samara makes its land available free of charge to the Tracker Academy for all its semi-arid practical training sessions and as part of its charitable donation to the Academy, also provides lecturing facilities and accommodation for the trainees – 8 at any one time.

Tracker Academy sign

Pokkie Benadie and his son Rowan, a graduate of the Tracker Academy

Cheetah spoor

The course focuses on developing tracking competency, conservation awareness and life skills, including literacy and positive health. An even more important focus than tracking is on empowering these young individuals to believe in themselves and their futures.

Pokkie is one of South Africa's 21 icons

The chief trainer at the Academy thus acts both as mentor and substitute parent. One of only six Master Trackers in South Africa – the highest honour for a tracker – Karel ‘Pokkie’ Benadie was born in the Karoo National Park. His love of nature was instilled during his early years growing up in the bush. He eventually contributed to a scientific paper on black rhino feeding habits, despite at the time being unable to read or write, using CyberTracker, an icon-based application on a handheld computer device. It is thought that this was the first time an illiterate tracker had co-authored a paper based on data he had collected independently, to substantiate a hypothesis he had himself proposed. In 2013, Pokkie was named as one of South Africa’s 21 Icons for his work in tracking, alongside such greats as Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Gary Player.

94% of graduates have found permanent employment

The Tracker Academy endeavours to contribute significantly to the preservation of indigenous knowledge in South Africa by creating passionate African naturalists. The aim is to empower the custodians of Africa’s environments to preserve the continent’s last remaining wild areas. Pokkie and the Academy are particularly proud that, 6 years on from its inception, 94% of its graduates have found permanent employment in the fields of tourism and conservation.

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Samara Private Game Reserve is a luxury safari destination situated in the Great Karoo, north of the end of the Garden Route, a 40-minute drive from the historical town of Graaff-Reinet, rich in culture and heritage.

Samara Private Game Reserve, Petersburg Road, off the R63 to Pearston, near Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape, 6280

Having trouble finding us? Why not use what3words, a global addressing system that has divided the world into 3 m x 3 m squares and given each a 3 word address. This means that everywhere in the world has an address, including our front gate. View Samara on what3words.com– our 3 word address is ///rosters.plots.famous